It's Official!

Things, as they almost always do, have worked out and I know what I'm doing after Peace Corps!

I'll be heading to Haiti to work with Fonkoze, "Haiti's Alternative Bank for the Organized Poor." Without getting too much into the organization or what exactly I'll be doing (because really I have a ton to learn about both of those things and I'll be able to describe them both better in the future), Fonkoze is an organization dedicated to helping Haiti's poor through giving them access to credit, among other things. This concept, microfinance, was made most famous by Muhammud Yunus and his book, Banker to the Poor, but it's been around for years. Fonkoze has been in operation for around fifteen years, and it's continuing to grow. After I spend a couple of months learning Creole, I'll be hired on as a Regional Director, working with their Ti Kredi (Little Credit) program. The Fonkoze website (hyperlinked above) is full of information - if you're interested, check it out!

I'm leaving for Port-au-Prince on June 6th. That date is going to give me a grand total of zero days of rest between Peace Corps and Fonkoze, but I'm ready to go. My friend and fellow Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Kaveh (here's his blog about Haiti), is going to be helping me out with the transition, as he did the same thing about a year and half ago. He's taking off from Haiti in mid-July, so I want to spend as much time as possible with him in Port-au-Prince to learn everything he's got to teach.

The next two weeks or so will be a whirlwind as I do all of the things I need to do to close up on this side of the island. I'm confident that the transition should go smoothly, though, and I'm looking forward to a fresh start in a new place. I've unofficially signed on for two years - if you're looking for me, you know where I'll be!